Microsoft has announced that Sam Altman, co-founder and former CEO of OpenAI, will join the company and lead a new AI research team. The news came just three days after Altman was ousted as CEO of the startup, which developed the popular AI tool ChatGPT.

In a statement on the X platform (formerly Twitter), Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wrote that Altman and Greg Brockman, another co-founder of OpenAI, will be joining Microsoft to continue their work in AI research. This move is seen as a significant boost for Microsoft’s AI capabilities.

Altman responded to the news on X, saying “The mission continues.” He had previously been an outspoken critic of big tech companies like Microsoft and had even called for their breakup. However, it appears that he is now willing to work with these companies to further his goals in the field of AI.

OpenAI’s board of directors had announced Altman’s dismissal on Friday, stating that he was not “consistently honest in his communications” and had lost their confidence in his ability to manage the company. Several other leaders at OpenAI also resigned following Altman’s departure.

ChatGPT was launched on November 30, 2022, which marked the beginning of a race in the field of artificial intelligence. It remains to be seen how this move by Microsoft will impact OpenAI and its future prospects in the industry.